Babies, Babies, Babies!

My darling sister and her husband are expecting their first child this autumn, and I couldn’t be more excited. This little girl is going to be the most loved, most talented, most beautiful woman the world has ever seen, and I get to be her aunt.

I take my duties as Awesome Aunt Emily very seriously, and so I have come up with a great gift for my niece: a starter library.

Obviously, such a library must have,

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis,

Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maude Montgomery,

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by JK Rowling,

Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder, and

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott,

but it might take her a little while before she can read those, so picture books are needed.

(Unless she’s Matilda – need to include Matilda.)

So, there should also be,

the Madeline books by Ludwig Bernelmans (especially Madeline and the Gypsies),

the Amelia Bedelia books by Peggy Parish, and

Princess Furball by Charlotte S. Huck.

And then there are the books that every child needs to have, no matter what:

But these are just books I like and that I think are important. I’d like to hear from you all:

What books do you think are necessary for children to read?

Are there any books you wish you had read as a child?

Are there books that you plan on read to your children some day?

Note – I want to buy books that will encourage my niece not to settle for being a Disney princess but to be a queen. Thus, I’m partial to books with strong female protagonists and decent, good male characters because I want her to have good influences in her life.

Goodnight Gorilla is a nice spinoff of Goodnight Moon. A Wrinkle in Time changed my life around late elementary/early middle school because it began the journey down paths of the “What If?” regarding reality. Some really good cartoon strip books like Peanuts or Calvin and Hobbes, to start philosophical training early.

(I like your list do far, though I have STILL never read Little Women.)

Goodnight Gorilla? That sounds marvelous. Ah, A Wrinkle in Time. I can’t believe I forgot that one. Thanks for the reminder.

Yes, she will need to be introduced to philosophy as soon as possible. I think Peanuts is a good way to start. Calvin and Hobbes might be a good buy later down the road. And Zits when she’s a teenager. 🙂

Oh man, Emily. Neices are soooo expensive. You will suddenly find yourself spending long hours in children’s clothing stores. I’m actually on the mailing list for The Children’s Place coupons. It’s sad. But neices are a great excuse for buying more children’s books! I would also add The Shoe Books by Noel Streatfeild and The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein.